Notes / Commercial Description:
"A deep mahogany color, Wassail is brewed with four different malts and a blend of Pacific Northwest hops, giving it a malty full body and a pleasantly hoppy finish that appeals to both hop and malt lovers alike. In other words, a Christmas miracle."

Reviews by ely2000k:

A- Looks nearly black when poured into a pint glass. Not much lacing or head, but the color is very nice for a winter warmer style ale.

S- Hint of raisin, bread, cranberry... smells slightly sweet and festive. Not too overpowering. The aromas are faint, but work well.

T- Starts sweet, then end with a good hope flavor and a pretty good bite. The alcohol content is fairly well disguised but you can taste it a bit on the end of a sip. As a winter warmer style ale, I think the taste works great. Pretty much what I am looking for from a winter brew.

M- Smooth, medium carbonation, that works well. Great for the style.

O- Enjoyable beer. I had pretty average expectations for this, and came out really pleasantly surprised. It may just be that I like the winter warmer style ale quite a lot.

More User Reviews:

Poured a chesnut brown with a well formed 1 1/2 finger beige colored head that left nice rings of lace as it slowly.Big chocolate aromas along with some nice drying earthiness quite roasted in character,quite dry I have to say on the palate wich in my opinion is a nice change of pace for winter warmer brews.Unsweetened chocolate and earthy tones really show themselves on the palate as well as a roasted chesnut flavor, a bit of spiciness comes thru late giving it a sharper finish,not overly complex but quite flavorful.Iam glad I tried this it is a solid no frill winter warmer, quite dry and tasty.

A: A dark brown with lots of ruby and excellent clarity. The head is about a finer of fine, tan bubbles that last for a long time and leave a light bit of lacing on the glass.

S: Moderate hops aroma of pine with an rich malt aroma with some caramel malt aroma. There kind of kettle caramelization aroma that reminds me of a Scottish Strong ale. There are some light esters of orange and prunes.

T: A rich malt flavor that isn't sweet like barelywines can get with a mild caramel flavor. There is a a firm hops bitterness and a moderate citrus hops flavor. The balance is fairly bitter with an off-dry finish and a citrus hops aftertaste. There are some low fruit flavors like orange and prunes with a touch of honey.

M: A medium-full bodied beer with moderate carbonation and a light alcohol warmth in the throat.

O: A malty and moderately hoppy beer that fits the bill of a holiday ale in my house having no fruit nor spice and a good hops showing. I want a bit more in the nose from the hops and the malt but then it would almost be a dark IPA. It's a great looking beer. Don't drink this one to cold our you miss the best parts which are subtle fruity and hops flavors.

Full Sail Wassail is an old school winter warmer, no spicing here. Brewed with four different malts and a heavy hand of Pacific Northwest hops.

Thick and bubbly, two fingers of light tan foam form from a heavy pour. As the head slowly drops down, the lacing shows an amazing retention after each taste. Dark-charred hickory color could be mistaken for black, you can barely see through the brew even when put up to a bright light. Clean malty aroma with shortbread, brown bread and caramel, hops pull in a mild herbal and spicy note in the nose. Smooth and a little creamy with a solid and slightly thick medium body. The malt character kicks things off with sweet bread, cocoa powder, caramel, toasted walnuts and a bit of fresh-bailed hay. Hops seem to want to balance and complement rather than dominate. Bitterness is more than sufficient yet the flavor adds layers of floral, citric and spicy notes. Suggestions of chocolate covers oranges, candied fruit and a mild charred-wood hit in the semisweet finish.

Within the balance there is drinkability, complex but approachable. Tasting this beer makes us realize that winter is not long enough and we'll just have to wait another year. Excellent job.

A great winter warmer. The color was a deep amber color with a nice off white head that stuck around for a long time. The smell was slightly piney and very spicey and made me want to investigate further. Out of all the winter beers I've had this year, this is one of the better ones for sure. The flavor was ultra balanced with a great bitter hop rush in the beginning that was matched quickly by a kick of malt and spices, and a nice spice aftertaste left me wanting more. Good job!

Pours a deep rust color. Smells of pine sap and a little caramel. Tatse is much hoppier than I expected, and there isn't as much malt as I'd like (if anything, it tastes a little like the Alt I just had...).

Nevertheless, this is a pretty good brew. The pine especially suits the time of year well.

Full Sail has come to New Hampshire. Got a few 6 packs at Village Market in Hampton Falls, and tried this one first.
Medium brown color with red highlights. A halo of a head, but still a bit of lace.
Sweet malt, spice aroma.
It tasted like a spice cake, that's the best way I could describe it. There was a bit of late piney hops.
Medium bodied, pleasant seasonal beer.

Appearance: Deep dark reddish brown with a fluffy light tan head that is really amazing, even pouring the brew was a treat on to its self ... medium sized bubbly cascading effect when poured vigorously.

Smell: A rich piney citrusy hop and almost rustic aroma of dark grains ranging from toasted to roasted to hints of chocolate and caramel. Very inviting with a pleasing fruitiness to boot.

Taste: Big, full bodied and creamy smooth ... lots of malt and fruit up front with flavours of raw honey and pears. Though a blend of alcoholic esters and aggressive hop bitterness wedge right in the middle and give off a warming feeling plus bitter / sweet earthy citrusy piney flavour. Hints of chocolate and prune in the back end with a dark chocolate cake like finish from the decent amount of residual sweetness in the end.

Notes: Very much a winter warmer with an American flare ... very impressive and a sheer joy to sip at cellar temp (55*F). One of the hoppier winter brews to be had. If you see this one on the shelf, buy it and sip the cold winter away.

Aroma is complex, malty, spicy, and hoppy, all mingling together nicely in the nose. Toffee, nutmeg, cinnamon, spruce pine, and some floral hop notes provide a pleasant wintry bouquet.

Mouthfeel is light medium bodied, moderately carbonated, with a spicy bite of ginger.

Taste largely echoes the nose, with toffee and a hint of chocolate fronting the maltiness. Spices are prominent, mostly cinnamon. Some cola flavors are picked up toward the finish. Floral hops bitterness takes over the finish.

Nicely complex, and well balanced. An excellent winter warmer. Thanks to waldowin for this enjoyable PacNorthwest winter gem.

Caramel malts in the nose, with a hint of cola and very light winter spicing.

Quite tasty brew with waves of caramel infused malt notes, with some mustiness and again a flat cola note. Spicing held to a moderate level, but lurking subtly a few layers to the rear of the profile. Smooth and enjoyable. Nicely done.

Another rare one at Red Bones this month...have really bumped up my visits with the gems they are putting on tap these days.
Arrived a bright worn copper color with a full finger of creamy tan head...stuck around for the entire pint and produces some of the finest lacing I have seen.
Nothing huge in the nose, but inviting nonetheless...some mild spice with a sweet malt addition. Very clean with no carbonation in the scent.
The taste is truly enjoyable...more of the spice shines through as it warms, as I prefer this one darn near room temperature. A decent hop profile, but not overly bitter and a solid malt backbone.
Mouthfeel is average...if this one was slightly thicker I would have skipped the rest of the day of work and had a few more.
Carbonation was perfect and with the abv, this one could be one of the best winter warmers out there IMO. A definite must try if you can find it.

The beer pours a dark brown color with a small white head. The aroma is caramel and toffee malt with some holiday spices: mainly nutmeg but a few other spices are mixed in as well. The flavor is full of holiday spices and caramel, as well as quite a bit of grassy and piney hops. This is definitely a highly-hopped winter warmer. The alcohol is also present and seems like it is higher than 7 percent. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Not bad.

Taste: Actually tastes a little similar to an India Brown Ale as well, but the malts are a little bit closer to a Barleywine with their toffee, fruit and butterscotch notes. The very spicy hops are evident throughout, with a light focus on citrus. While very spicy, I think it is all due to hops, but I could be wrong. The malts become more evident as it warms.

Pours clear mahogany with a short, off-white head. Good balalnce of hops and malts in the nose and taste. Has a smooth, caramel and earthy flavor up front. Spice, hops, and tea come through in the middle. Dry, nutty, and earthy finish. Enjoyable, but it left me wanting more.

The beer poured from the bottle and was dark amber in colour. It smelled of malty spice and hop. This beer had a surprisingly high alcohol content which was not really reflected in the taste. Thevarious flavors passed over the palate in distinct phases. The initial taste was sweet, followed by a light hoppiness and finished with a toasty nuttiness common to many winter ales. This lingered as a mild, roasty after taste.

A: deep dark chestnut sitting under a 1” foam collar that grips the side of the glass.
S: caramel and spice, hints of fruit cake,
T: A full flavored spicy fruitcake start with traces of chocolate gives way to a dry, astringent finish.
F: fine soft medium carbonation, medium full body.
O: Suprisingly well balanced and refreshing.